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What do dinosaur fossils have to do with your health? On a recent visit to the opening night of the new Edelman Fossil Park & Museum in Mantua, New Jersey, Dr. William Li explored an extraordinary exhibit: preserved blood vessels inside a 66-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil.

What scientists are learning from these ancient vessels is transforming how we understand angiogenesis—the process of blood vessel formation that affects everything from wound healing to cancer.

This week, we’re exploring how a discovery from the distant past could shape the future of medicine.

The Evolution of Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is how your body forms new blood vessels from existing ones. In total, your vascular system spans an astonishing 60,000 miles—delivering oxygen and nutrients to every cell. This process is essential for healing, tissue growth, and overall health. But when it becomes dysregulated, such as in cancer, it can support tumor growth by supplying the very resources it needs to spread.

While exploring the museum, Dr. Li paused at a microscope station revealing something remarkable: tiny blood vessels from a Tyrannosaurus rex, preserved in stunning detail. These delicate structures, which have survived for 66 million years, are a powerful reminder of how much biology can endure through time.

A separate study led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Stout revealed how this kind of preservation is possible. Using advanced imaging techniques, the team identified structural proteins like collagen, a key component of blood vessels, that remained intact within the fossilized tissue. Their findings suggest that the basic building blocks of angiogenesis have existed for tens of millions of years.

This deep evolutionary history reinforces just how fundamental blood vessel formation is to life. And it brings to mind the legacy of Dr. Judah Folkman, who first proposed that cutting off a tumor’s blood supply could be a strategy to fight cancer—an idea that continues to guide angiogenesis research today.

Ancient Vessels, Modern Insights

A recent study published earlier this year in Nature examined blood vessels in fossils from Tyrannosaurus rex and other non-avian dinosaurs using cutting-edge tools like transmission electron microscopy.

What researchers found was extraordinary:

• Delicate blood vessels were still intact, with proteins like collagen, elastin, and laminin—the same ones found in modern vertebrates.

• These ancient structures retained their shape and complexity, even after the surrounding bone was dissolved away.

• Scientists confirmed that these vessels were not just bacterial biofilms, but likely the original blood vessels themselves.

• The findings held true across multiple dinosaur species, fossil types, and environments—suggesting soft tissue preservation may be more common than once believed.

This discovery doesn’t just change what we know about fossilization. It offers a rare window into how fundamental biological processes like angiogenesis have endured across time—supporting growth, healing, and survival from the dinosaur age to today.

Want to see these ancient blood vessels up close?

Watch Dr. Li’s reel from the museum for a glimpse at the T. rex fragments under the microscope—and discover how this ancient discovery ties into today’s science.

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Best wishes,
- The Angiogenesis Foundation